Emperor's Bane

Chapter 988 A single move affects the whole body
For a long time, the myriad beings of the galaxy have always been curious about the internal affairs of the Alpha Legion.

The simultaneous feeling of fear and curiosity towards the unknown is one of the most instinctive emotions of living beings: the more fools fear Hydra's reputation for being all-pervasive, the more curious they become about the truth beneath its surface.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, there's no hope of saving it.

Standing in the bright sunlight, they dared not truly venture into the shadows, and could only whisper among themselves, pondering the answers to those enviable questions: just how much power did the Hydra Legion possess, to what extent had they infiltrated and secretly controlled the Empire, and, more importantly, what else?

Just how many troops, completely subservient to Alpharis, are under the control of the Primarch?
Is it the rumored 400,000?

Or is it another, even more terrifying rumor of 800,000?
Or perhaps: more?

Or perhaps, from beginning to end, the Alpha Legion was simply the smallest of all the legions: it was only through its reputation for being omnipresent and ruthless that it could project a massive shadow of intimidation onto its opponents in the blind spots of others' vision through various means.
When it comes to the mysterious and unpredictable son of Hydra, every answer seems to have its own logic, but none of them can satisfy everyone.

So they could only continue to cower in the light that brought them a sense of security, pondering, arguing, and fighting each other: until the faint breaths beneath their blue-silver armor extended into the shadows of each of them.

Until the weary Omega finally broke through the last barrier of the Terra Palace.

This was more difficult than he had imagined.

Rogdorn and Macard the Hand: They are truly formidable opponents.

However, when it comes to infiltration, even their best efforts are no match for a well-prepared Hydra.

……

Contrary to Alpharis's speculation, Omega has never actually left the solar system.

While everyone involved in the Terra Crisis was overwhelmed by the successive major events of the Vengeance Soul bombarding the Eternal Gate and the Seal of the Lord ordering the sinking of the Vengeance Soul, Omega was probably the only heavyweight guest in the entire solar system who was able to keep his head up.

After all, he was the one who lit the powder keg that actually led to the entire Horus rebellion.

Although some unexpected incidents occurred in certain details, such as the Raven Prince who managed to escape from his grasp: Omega was certain that he had not held back; he genuinely wanted to kill Sevita. If Queen Avalon's methods had been delayed even slightly, Conrad would have only received a cold corpse from Horus.

However, such minor incidents were not enough to disrupt the entire operation: while everyone's attention was drawn to the death of the Vengeful Spirit, Omega had already left the scene of the incident and quickly settled down in the relatively safe Venus.

This is a well-thought-out answer.

This place is close enough to Holy Terra to be practically under the nose of Roguedon, but the numerous major events that followed the Terra Crisis left the Seal Master and Primarch with no time to attend to this land.

Neither the spies sent by Macado nor the patrols of the Imperial Fist could detect Omega's hiding place: the fully armed Imperial Guard should have been a more difficult opponent, but the main force of these golden warriors had been transferred to the Web by the Emperor, and the number of those remaining in the solar system was less than three digits.

This pitiful number is barely enough to guard the palace, let alone spare manpower to participate in daily patrols on Venus.

Not to mention, a fierce civil war is raging on Mars, which is separated from Venus by Terra. Apart from fighting Horus, the Marksman and Dorne have devoted all their energy to that red sandy land, leaving less than one percent for Omega.

These are the reasons why he chose Venus.

But more importantly, the Alpha Legion has buried their power beneath this land.

This involves another secret matter.

For a long time, everyone has been curious about: just how many Alphas are hidden throughout the entire galaxy?
The answer is: Unknown.

Even Alpharis and Omega, the two legion leaders, did not know the specific answer to this question.

It is certain that the total strength of the Hydra Legion far exceeds the 400,000 they publicly claim, but it is not quite the 800,000 that some people speculate. Instead, it is in a higher range: perhaps a little more than the Ultramarines.

Six hundred and fifty thousand? Or seven hundred thousand? In any case, the Alphas never have the habit of counting heads.

This immense power is primarily attributed to the [treasures] that the two Primarchs had previously buried throughout the galaxy.

Take Holy Terra as an example.

Even the one who holds the seal is unaware that while he is in the administrative palace of Terra Palace, acting as the Patriarch in place of the Emperor overseeing millions of stars in the galaxy, a massive army of Alphas is slumbering just a few thousand meters below him.

They had been lying in wait in the underground palace for a long time, before the war between Randan and others. They were waiting for their contacts and the code words in the hibernation pods. Their scale was at least ten companies, which is ten thousand people.

There are at least two other treasure troves of similar size on the planets of the solar system, each housing no fewer than five thousand Alpha Sleepers, all of whom are elite troops ready to be deployed into battle immediately.

In other words, right under Dorne's nose, Hydra was hiding an army of at least 20,000.

This doesn't even include the deeply hidden ordinary agents and the thugs who can be incited at any time.

Perhaps on the front lines, this number is not enough to inspire awe; but if it were to launch a fatal blow against the enemy's rear, which they consider absolutely safe, or even their command and production centers, 20,000 Alpha warriors would be enough to shatter the balance of the galaxy and accomplish a feat that even 200,000 Astartes on the front lines could only dream of.

This is why Omega continued to lurk in the solar system after the Terra crisis.

He needs to keep these 20,000 men under control and throw them to the ground at the right time.

No.

His action was not for the sake of the warlord's victory.

He didn't even expect those 20,000 people to survive.

They are merely a smokescreen: their awakening will provide cover for the Primarch to achieve their true objective.

The reason for such generosity is that most of these sleeping armies were set up by Alpharis: before the two Primarchs were at odds, Alpharis and Omega were willing to share secrets such as their respective pasts.

Now that things have turned sour, it's no wonder that AlphaRice is squandering his fortune.

In any case, these sleepers only recognize coded messages and nothing else.

As for the cost...

"Please provide a genetic sample..."

Rolling up his robe and wiping it clean, Omega quietly gazed at the blue-glowing testing equipment before him: these machines only activated about once every hundred years, and the Primarch's genes were the only thing that could subdue them.

Of course, there's another password.

"The Great Whirlpool".

Omega spoke slowly, his voice hoarse.

"……correct……"

After a cold, monotonous, repetitive mechanical sound, a deep, luminous passage opened up to the Hydra Lord.

He took a deep breath.

At the end of the passage was what he needed.

For this, he abandoned something else.

As he walked through the gate, Omega glanced at the electronic screen next to him, seemingly casually.

A giant whirlpool.

Yes, a giant whirlpool.

If the timing is correct, Alpharis should have already eliminated his influence in the Maelstrom.

what a pity……

Although Omega never expected that the betrayal of the Maelstrom would kill Alpharis outright: if he really wanted to kill him at the very beginning of the struggle, he wouldn't have stayed in Terra; he would have returned to the Maelstrom to personally command his army and kill Alpharis before he could gather his strength.

He is confident that he can do it.

However, after weighing the pros and cons, Omega ultimately abandoned its operations in the Maze and instead used it to tie down Alpha's energy, buying him enough time for his business elsewhere.

This is a good deal.

Because his benefits outweigh his costs.

Despite being brothers with one soul and two bodies, the two Hydra Lords were ultimately not entirely the same.

Give the simplest example.

In terms of strategic intent and deployment, Omega was an absolute supporter of Terracentrism. His confidence in mastering Alpha's trump card on Terra showed that he had devoted most of his energy to the Solar System, thoroughly penetrating the land. It was with his support that Horus was able to have such a smooth start to the war.

AlphaRes, on the other hand, takes a different path.

Rather than focusing on Terra and the Solar System, Alpha's attention is more focused on those remote regions.

Especially in recent years, he has devoted more of his energy and resources to Avalon, Caliban, Makula, Redemption, and even Korkis.

It was with his secret help that Corax was able to accurately obtain information about the battle situation in Terra, and that communication between Johnson and Avalon was exceptionally smooth. He was also the only one who was wary of the strange behavior of the Word Bearers. However, while helping these brother legions, the price was that Alpha gradually lost control of the Solar System.

Now, a real war will determine whether the two Hydra lords are on the right or wrong path.

Walking along this abandoned subway road, which is at least tens of thousands of years old, and breathing in the damp air, Omega felt that it might have already lost the first round.

Yes, he did indeed make Alpha look incredibly bad in the Vortex with a small amount of force, and he will take the opportunity to seize his trump card in Terra. However, in Omega's original plan, the civil war between the legions in the Vortex will not end so soon.

He had been preparing for this for a long time; Alpha's situation should be more desperate than imagined.

He should have been like that.

Until [Riza] suddenly intervened in this war.

……

Frankly speaking, Omega has never underestimated the significance of the Lord of Avalon in the Great Vortex.

Although, on the surface, the Far Eastern frontier seems far removed from the Great Vortex, separated by the steel kingdom ruled by Peturabo, anyone with even a modicum of political acumen can see that Morgan has at least two stable footholds within the Great Vortex: Riza and Katachan.

For them, the Spider Queen's words were more effective than commands from Terra.

Therefore, Omega had already taken into account the involvement of the Far East when formulating its plans.

He simply hadn't expected that forces from the Far East frontier would intervene in Alpha's civil war so quickly.

To be more specific: Riza's actions were simply too "proactive".

The de facto leader of the Mechanicus in the entire Eastern Galaxy was unlike his colleagues, who were known for their self-preservation. After receiving Alpha's letter, Riza didn't even send a note to Avalon. Instead, he threw himself into Alpha's civil war effort, providing a steady stream of logistical supplies and deploying his own warships and cultist forces to the battlefield.

It was these forces that helped Alpharis resolve the battle of the Great Vortex in the shortest possible time.

This was beyond Omega's expectations: according to his understanding of the Mechanicus, these armies would have to wait at least a few more months before they could set foot on the battlefield.

It appears that the alliance between the Far East and Rizza was far more equitable than Omega had imagined: and the benefits and confidence it gave Rizza were far greater than expected, enabling them to take bolder actions.

He did miscalculate on this point.

The price of failure was that he had to launch his plans on Terra ahead of schedule: because Alpharis must have guessed what he was planning to do.

Once he makes contact with the Sealholder, Omega will be in big trouble.

Fortunately, there were no problems on Horus's side.

As expected, the Wolf God launched a new attack on Terra at the agreed time, which will undoubtedly attract the attention of Macardo and Dorne, and will also buy time for Omega's actions.

In return, he also had to use the lives of these 20,000 men to gain an advantage for Horus.

Just like what he's doing now.

The Primarch placed his hand on the last gate.

He could sense that at least five thousand living beings were waiting to awaken behind this door.

Fully armed and loyal, they possess not only rich experience and a ruthless heart, but also a well-equipped vehicle force capable of waging a real war on the land of Holy Terra.

Originally, this war referred to the final battle that was destined to take place on the land of Holy Terra.

But now: let's bring everything forward.

Omega smiled.

Then, he reached out and pushed the door open.

------

"How are you preparing?"

The Lion King casually closed the door, the dull thud tormenting the eardrums of everyone in the room.

"The situation is ideal, sir."

Even so, Rana quickly stood up.

He bowed to the interim ruler of the Far East, even though the Primarch immediately waved his hand, indicating that he did not need to.

Zhuang Sen has always disliked these pedantic formalities.

"Then tell me the specifics."

After walking a few more steps, the Lord of Caliban plopped down in Morgan's original spot, his gaze sweeping over the overly familiar faces before him: Rana, Bernard, Ahriman, and Danteok.

Over the past period, everyone present has brought back results that have not disappointed him.

Especially Danteok: he really brought back a large army for Johnson that was ready to fight at any time.

There was more than the Kaliban had imagined.

Moreover, this well-equipped army even contains a large number of veterans: a valuable asset even among the Dark Angels.

In the lion's heart, he had already planned where this army should be... to serve with utmost loyalty.

And Ahriman: the psionicists he brought also seemed to have unique uses for them.

Perhaps their lifespan could be extended even further: at least longer than Johnson originally envisioned them as disposable items.

And Rana... um, Rana.

The meticulous Rana: He was really curious about how much effort Morgan had put into this guy.

He even considered exchanging Arachios for her.

The Caliban always felt pleased when listening to the chief of the guard's reports, especially the logically clear figures and their relationships.

"Okay."

After listening to about 60-70% of it and not noticing anything unusual, Zhuang Sen lost interest.

"You can check the rest yourselves."

"I need to focus my energy on more important things."

After saying that, he looked at Bernard, the always smiling little guy who made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Has the Five Hundred Worlds responded to my invitation?"

“Very positive, sir.”

Bernard's ceremonial smile made the Caliban instinctively unwilling to believe what he was saying.

"Our allies have no objection to the suggestion of holding a top-level strategic meeting."

"The only thing that puzzled them was why they chose such a remote location to meet."

"Because I don't want the whole world to know about this."

Zhuang Sen took a sip of water.

"Besides, although the main planet Sigmanus is remote, it happens to be located on the border between two countries."

"Isn't this exactly the balance he likes best?"

"..."

Bernard simply smiled and did not respond.

Zhuang Sen then asked a question.

"So, what do they think about dates?"

"They felt the deadline was a bit tight, but it was manageable."

"In fact, when our envoys left, Macurag was already preparing the fleet to depart."

"very good."

Zhuang Sen nodded in satisfaction.

"In that case, we can't fall behind."

"Rana".

The Primarch turned its head.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow and will be back in a few months."

"I'll leave things to you in the meantime."

"Your will, my lord."

The chief guard bowed his head deeply.

"very good."

The Primarch stood up: he was not willing to stay in this strategic meeting room for too long.

"In that case, if there's nothing else..."

"I need to go and prepare for my meeting."

"I believe……"

"I will have a pleasant, long-awaited reunion with my Guilliman brothers."

"I hope he's still the same as before."

"Frank, humble...and loyal."

(End of this chapter)